REVIEW: The Officer and the Secret by Jeanette Murray

My Review

The Officer and the Secret by Jeanette MurraySemper Fi #3Contemporary Romance

Coming back from the sandbox has left Dwayne with issues re-acclimating to normal life. But there’s one person who makes things easier and that’s Veronica. Their short conversations over Skype gave him a piece of life back home and now that he’s met her in person, he can’t stay away. Leaving her missionary parents and starting over with her life has changed everything for Veronica. She finally feels like she has a real family and a place that she belongs. Dating is something completely new to Veronica but she knows instinctively that she’s safe with Dwayne.

This was a nice round off to this series and I really enjoyed Dwayne who has an easy going personality. We also finally get to know about Veronica’s past and see her come into her real personality. This was a sweet but spicy romance between these two with a somewhat predictable ending.

Dwayne was a charmer and the perfect amount of confident and cocky. I loved watching his interactions with Veronica and his recognition that he needed to take things at her pace. Veronica’s growth throughout the book was handled really well. She was incredibly sheltered and isolated with her parents so adapting to a more normal lifestyle was a challenge. I loved the moments when she got sassy and spoke up for herself. The ending was pretty predictable with Veronica’s situation perfectly reflecting Dwayne’s worst fears. Something more creative could have been done.

Addressing PTSD is always something that should be treated with respect and Jeanette Murray did a really good job of this. I liked that she “normalized” re-acclimatization and therapy. There is nothing wrong with getting help from friend or professionals and Murray shows this.

What was up with Jeremy? He was kind of a dick in this book with his comments about Veronica; he just didn’t seem like the same person. And the scene when Madison gets sick just felt really out of character for their relationship.

3 out of 5 stars

Reader Safety

Hero with PTSD

Book Details

Coming home after a rough deployment, Captain Dwayne Robertson wants some stability in his life, and finds it in the friendship he’s forged with Veronica Gibson while he was away. But her past is a well-guarded mystery, and Dwayne doesn’t know if he can deal with a woman who has something to hide…

Veronica Gibson doesn’t want anyone to know about her bizarre upbringing. She’s finally escaped her missionary parents and would be enjoying her independence if she didn’t feel so insecure about fitting in. She can easily envision a glorious future with Dwayne—but can she build a new life on a web of lies?